TNAG-1869-FCO40-2657-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Macau-1989 — Page 43

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pace. It depends on the soundness of intellectual development to a great extent to gain a foothold in international economic competition and make rapid progress in domestic economic construction. Strengthening the building of spiritual civilisation and raising the scientific and cultural quality of the whole nation are not unconnected with the intellectuals. This being the case, the intellectuals are a force that we should rely upon in our modernisation programme and they are the precious wealth of our country. The party's policy on intellectuals is a Marxist policy propelling the development of productive forces. We must continue to implement Comrade Deng Xiaoping's important policy on "respecting knowledge and talented people" and bring the role of intellectuals into our modernisation programme. This way of doing things conforms to the laws governing the development of socialism and is in line with the interests of the state and the people.

The party's policy on intellectuals has not changed, also in part because it has been tested through practice to be a correct policy. Since the smashing of the "gang of four", in particular, since the third plenary session of the 11th CCP Central Commitee, our party has brought order out of chaos, corrected the "leftist" ideology and traditional small-scale-production concept of discriminating against intellectuals, and defined a new policy on intellectuals. Comrade Deng Xiaoping attached great importance to this issue and has made numerous important expositions on the question of intellectuals. These expositions have scientifically explained the historical position of intellectuals in our country, fully affirmed that intellectuals are part of the working class in our country, and explained and proved the important role of intellectuals in socialist modernisation.

These expositions of Comrade Deng Xiaoping have laid a theoretical basis for the party to redefine the policy on intellectuals, thus playing an extremely important instructive role. The facts have proved that the party's policy on intellectuals of having bold confidence in intellectuals and bringing their role into full play as the core has won the heart- felt support of the broad masses of intellectuals, cadres and people. In implementing the policy, party organisations at all levels have concerned themselves with and cherished intellectuals and supported their work, thus bringing the enthusiasm of intellectuals into fullest play.

The vast numbers of intellectuals working on the fronts, such as production, national defence, scientific research, education, public health, propaganda, news and publication and literature and art, are working selflessly to make their contributions, thus promoting the vigorous development of socialist modernisation. They are true elite members of the nation. Like workers and peasants, they are also the masters of the socialist society and a basic force for building socialism. How can this policy based on the summed up bitter historical lessons, a policy which has produced brilliant results in the practice of socialist modernisation be changed just because we are confronted with difficulties for the time being?

On the question of some intellectuals being involved in the turmoil and the rebellion, we should make a concrete analysis. First of all, we should notice the vast number of intellectuals in our country who have received the party's education and experienced tempering and tests in revolution and construction

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for a long time, including the test in the current turmoil and rebellion, are good and thus entirely can be relied upon. Some intellectuals influenced by the ideological trend favouring bourgeois liberalisation made some erroneous remarks and did some wrong things during the turmoil and the rebellion. These problems of theirs mostly fall into the category of ideological understanding. We are convinced that through the study of the documents of the fourth plenary session of the 13th CCP Central Committee, the analysis and criticism of the ideological trend favouring bourgeois liberalisation, the understanding of the real facts of the turmoil and the rebellion, and through serious and sober rethinking, they can surely draw lessons, deepen their understanding, rouse themselves and continue to make contributions for the four

modernisations.

Those who really oppose the party and the people constitute a tiny minority among the intellectuals. They do not represent the broad masses of intellectuals and instead they are the scum of the intellectuals. For a long time they have propagated the ideological trend favouring bourgeois liberalisation in various forms and carried out propaganda and political activities to oppose the CCP and the socialist system. This time they again participated in organising and plotting the turmoil and the counter-revolutionary rebellion. Some of them even colluded with the anti-China forces in the West and betrayed their motherland. It is entirely necessary and in keeping with the interests of the broad masses of workers, peasants and intellectuals to punish this extremely small number of people according to the law. This action has won their support.

The fourth plenary session of the 13th CCP Central Committee has declared in a clear-cut manner: "The line, principles and policies formulated since the third plenary session of the 11th CCP Central Committee will continue to be resolutely implemented and the basic line consisting of "the one central task and two basic points” established at the 13th national party congress will also continue to be resolutely carried out. After the session, leading comrades of the Party Central Committee have reaffirmed on many occasions that the party's policy on intellectuals has not changed and will not change. We hope that the comrades who have doubts and misgivings on this question can gain a clear understanding and achieve unity in thinking on the Party Central Committee's line, principles and policies at an early date. Party organisations and government at various levels should, as always, conscientiously implement the party's policy on intellectuals, concern themselves with the intellectuals ideologically and in their work and life and do more solid work for them so that they can play a greater role in construction and reform.